Chapter Two
Jack's Methods and Spanish Guitars
There was really no need to worry. I should have known my faithful Karissa would come back for me. It took a while, but the ship finally arrived on the horizon. The real torture was the time on the island.
When Jack totally woke up, I was already trying to figure out how we would cut down the palm trees. "They haven't come yet?" he asked.
"Not yet." I grabbed a rock and rubbed it against the wood to see the result. "I'm positive they'll come. This is just in case."
The worst part about this was that he thought I had a crush on him, when that wasn't the situation at all. I couldn't help it if he looked handsome, just like he couldn't help that I had his compass. At least I had that still.
I kept trying different ways, but nothing seemed to work. Jack just sat there, watching. When night started to come upon us, we started a fire so we could see.
"Take a break, love," he called to me as I kept trying.
"I can't. If the ship doesn't come back, we'll be stuck here."
"Just a minute. I'm not working."
"You never were." I sighed as I glanced at the blisters on my hands. "Okay, I'll stop. But just for an hour or so."
Jack was lying down in the sand and I came to lie beside him. "Love, I understand if you're surprised by this, but…" Jack pulled out a Spanish guitar from the bushes. "This washed up while you were working."
I hesitated as I stared at it. Jack knows I can't resist the sound of the Spanish guitar. It's just so soothing, and it reminds me of freedom, pure freedom. Like what I had before Davy Jones entered the picture. Before everything went crazy. But after school and being caged in. Perfect serenity…
My thoughts melted into the music that Jack began strumming. I felt my eyes close, thinking of my freedom. I didn't have to go to school anymore. No more homework, no more repressed feelings, no more having to slog through each day resentfully. I was free. And freedom was everything.
I felt my body go limp. The words came to my mind, hesitated at my lips, and then made their way out. "Jack, are we in heaven? I mean, we're free, you somehow know how to play the Spanish guitar, and Davy Jones is nowhere in sight." Okay, I know it sounds crazy, but that's how I get around Spanish guitars.
"We can make it heaven, if you just admit you love me." Jack kept strumming. "I've got you, love. You can't resist it, can you?"
I tried to clear my mind, only to find that I couldn't. "Stop," I moaned.
To my surprise, Jack obeyed. "Now tell me why you won't tell me you love me."
"I don't love you," I growled. "You're a coward, you're not loyal at all, you're a horrible man, and you live just to break women's hearts." That about summed it up, so I turned around with my back to him.
"Ah, yes…" Jack smirked, and I knew what he was thinking about…
. . .
Who do you think you are?
Running 'round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
Tearing love apart.
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul.
Don't come back for me
Don't come back at all.
That was the song I sang to Karissa on the deck, Mr. Gibbs listening in. As I sang, Karissa was closing her eyes, muttering, "I love that song, Sade."
"I do as well, Captain," put in Mr. Gibbs. "Did you know that Jack's ex-girlfriend, Bonnie, considers that his theme song?"
"Never would've guessed," I snickered. Karissa smirked a little too.
"It's true," insisted Gibbs, not getting the hint of sarcasm. "Actually, she wasn't the first to say that. There was Dianne, Marlee, Mika, Cece…"
"Don't forget dear Joselyn," came Jack's amused voice. The three of us turned.
"You never loved any of them, did you?" My tone was cold as ice.
"They were all so beautiful. I couldn't resist."
Karissa was mad, too. "What, and then a prettier one came along?"
"You monster, you wolf in human's clothes! I can't believe you! You treat women like pieces of gum. When one loses its flavor, you grab another! Well, Jack Sparrow, I hope that one day you do fall in love, and then someone breaks YOUR heart. That's the only payback good enough that I can think of." I hated men who regarded women like that. So why was I friends with Jack? I shook the question out of my head and went back to hating him.
"You're a…" Karissa couldn't think of a bad enough insult, so she just stormed off to the girls' cabin.
I was sort of stuck where I was, since I was steering, so I kept scolding Jack. "So women aren't good enough to fight, is that it? Only there to be your slaves. You're despicable, and I don't know why I don't maroon you right now! I live to fight, live for freedom, live for the ocean. Never just to be some man's slave. You're the worst person ever, I don't believe I've ever seen you do the right thing, you're horrible, you're awful, and you're unworthy to be on my ship- WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING, YOU BLOODY PIRATE?"
Jack kept smirking. "I don't believe I've ever seen such a un-lady-like girl in my life. You're quite stubborn, love. But I do believe any proper young lady would be horrified at you."
"Too bad for them. I like being stubborn, and no one can do anything about it. As I was saying, you're horrible. Sometime I'll have to ask Megan to take a poll of how many hearts you've broken-excuse me, how many hearts you've collected in your jar. Now leave, and don't come back for a while." I tossed my golden hair.
Behind me, I could sense Jack and Gibbs exchanging looks before Jack strode off, as though he had just made an appearance on stage. How was it he could do everything he did with dignity?
. . .
"Well, it's true," I insisted. "You're a complete womanizer. You treat us like objects." I could feel myself returning to Earth from wherever the Spanish guitar had brought us… Heaven?
Jack smirked and began to strum. Heaven came again, and I felt my knees go weak. How could just a bit of music do this? Then I began to pick out a tune, and I began to mutter the words to myself.
"Who do you think you are, running 'round leaving scars, collecting your jar of hearts? You're gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul, don't come back for me, don't come back at all." I glanced at Jack. The tune became very fast, not a song anymore, just Jack making it up as he went. And it was amazing. The notes began to race into each other, the faster it went. My heart beat as fast as the music, and I felt my knees go even weaker. The pirate took the opportunity to trip me and I fell into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and kept playing. The music suddenly became slow and dreamy. I tried to fight my own feelings for it, but was having a hard time. Finally I gave up and went limp, and I could just HEAR Jack smirk.
"You're different, love," he purred seductively.
I braced myself and knocked the instrument out of his hand. "You say that to all of them. I bet you said that to Megan before she went out with you. You're disloyal in every way possible, and I'm never going to love you."
"If I can't have your heart," murmured the pirate captain, holding me closer, forcing me to wrap my arms around him. "May I have your body?"
I shivered. He was saying it in his usual seductive tone, but I was shuddering at the very thought of what he would do with my body if he ever got ahold of it.
"No!" I pushed him and slapped him on the cheek so he turned around- and then we both saw it.
"The Ocean Pearl!" I cried. Jack turned, grinning, and we both forgot about what had just happened and grabbed each other, dancing around like maniacs.
"They came back, they came back, they came back!" I screamed to Jack.
"I know love, you don't have to leave me deaf!" We kept dancing around the campfire, occasionally yelling senseless phrases to each other.
"I thought we were dead! All we had were a couple trees and a Spanish guitar!"
"Personally, I liked the Spanish guitar!"
"Oh, shut up!"
And that was how Karissa and Gibbs found us, dancing around like we didn't have a care in the world. Karissa stepped up and cleared her throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the great Golden Lion and the fearsome Captain Jack Sparrow!"
We all laughed at that. Just after Karissa, Gibbs, and Jack had boarded, I grabbed the Spanish guitar. What could it hurt?